Day fourteen
- Eastern Europe

30Mar 2012

Today we took a day trip to Bran, where for sure Dracula's
castle is not. However, what is there is a castle that Dracula
really should have taken more interest in as it looked fairy tale
perfect. First we had to get there and after a walk to the
train station to buy a train ticket for a couple of days time and
then we jumped in the taxis at the front of the queue. What we
should have done was read the price on the doors of the taxis which
they are legally obliged to display and realised that this one was
over twice the price of a normal taxi. When we mentioned the bus
stop he clocked where we were going and offered to take us all the
way for a cut price fixed fee of 100, his last offer coming as the
slip road to the bus station was almost past. We explained that the
bus for 6 was a better deal and so we swerved off.

The weather was pretty bleak and miserable with a steady flux of
snow coming down and it didn't perk up during the bus ride but we
were still excited, if a little cold, when we got off and could see
the castle itself. What was less obvious was the entrance, we were
waved away from one gate and walked the perimeter of the fence as
the snow fell. At the right place we paid our money and walked up
the steps to the top of the rocky outcrop and into the castle. It's
peculiar and haphazard structure can probably be attributed to the
history of construction, with elements added over time and others
rebuilt as required. There is a certificate allowing the
construction from 1377 and since then at least some structure has
existed, but there are accounts of it being the site of an earlier
fortress as well but by now this is buried beneath the existing
structure. In more recent times it housed Queen Marie who used it
as a summer residence. Queen Marie was the granddaughter of Queen
Victoria and married Ferdinand I, the heir to the throne, in 1892
when she was only 17. In 1914 she was crowned Queen and endeared
herself to the public by selflessly serving in military hospitals
during World War I. From 1920 she renovated the castle to be
fit for her royal residence and it remained so after her death
until 1947. In 1957 is became a state museum but in 2009 it was
returned to the royal family who have reverted the furnishings to
those that Queen Marie had chosen. The architecture is hard to
describe and includes turrets, towers and even one hidden
staircase. While not being large it is a confusing place to walk
around with the layout being very haphazard. Near the top of one of
the tower there is a 'Dracula' room drawing the parallels with Vlad
the Impaler and the claiming that the location is the inspiration
for Bram Stokers book. In reality he never saw this castle and is
more likely that he was inspired by some spooky buildings in
Scotland - where he wrote his book. However, it is undeniable that
the castle certainly looked the part and it was fun to imagine
bumping in Dracula in the secret passageway.

Back out we weren't exactly greeted with sunshine but at least it
had stopped snowing. There was little else to see or do so we set
about trying to find some lunch. We brushed off the first place as
a bit too posh but after finding that everywhere else was shut,
obviously we are ahead of the tourist curve, we relented. In fact
it was perfect and crucially at this point warm. After eating we
looked at our watches and rushed for a bus, only to arrive about a
minute late and then spent half an hour circling the very small
center waiting for the next bus, arriving in plenty of time at the
stop.

Back at Brasov we had some of the day left and walked into the
center via the citadel, located just outside the old city walls. At
the top was a very impressive building, a large circular building
with an imposing door way. Unsure whether it was open we
strolled in and walked around the courtyard to see derelict
restaurants and night clubs being renovated, all closed. With no
one seeming to mind we walked up to the walls for a view over the
town and again saw the marked contrast between the old town and the
more modern sprawl alongside.

We finished the trek into town and treated ourselves to a
relatively very expensive but much needed meal of steak, chips and
vegetables. The food was excellent, the beer nice and of course the
company fantastic (do I get my brownie points now?!). On the walk
home we stumbled across what looked like an official boy racer
circuit just at the end of the main street. We watched a couple of
cars negotiate the tight track, which included a couple of markers
they had to loop around affording the opportunity on the slick
roads to impressively slide around them. We didn't fathom just what
the event actually was, and indeed there seemed a big mix of cars,
but it all looked like they were enjoying themselves. We did see
one of the competitors driving home afterwards as we walked home
and judging by his revs I think he thought he was still racing!

Copyright notice: The text contained within these pages is the property of Colin Bolton and may not be reproduced without written permission.